MacBook Fans At 6200RPM

SuperkAyjnr said:

Hello, I currently live in Australia right now and I was just wondering if it's okay to run the MacBook with the max fan speed (6200RPM) at all times?

It's really hot nowadays and my MacBook runs at about 60 degrees Celsius idle. If I run a few CPU intensive apps, the temperature usually rises to 70-80 degrees. This is with the fan running at max speed.

So what I want to ask is, will it be okay to keep the fans running at max speed at all times? I'm going to get a notebook cooler soon so that should help with lowering the temperatures a little lower.

Thanks.

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70-80C is COOOOOLLLD!!! my macbook runs about 90 - 100C and thats considered normal.

kastenbrust said:

70-80C is COOOOOLLLD!!! my macbook runs about 90 - 100C and thats considered normal.

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What the hell are you talking about? My MacBook is running at 50 c idle.

acfusion29 said:

What the hell are you talking about? My MacBook is running at 50 c idle.

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Mine does too, but during normal usage 90C isnt uncommon

that is not normal unless you are running a graphically intense program/process. Check activity monitor and organize the processes by cpu usage, you'll find your culprit.

My fans are always at 6200RPM

85 Degrees Celcius atm because I do Folding@Home

kastenbrust said:

Mine does too, but during normal usage 90C isnt uncommon

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When I'm in final cut, I get around 70C on my Aluminum MacBook.

my aluminium 2.0ghz is currently sitting at 51°C and the fan is at 1100rpm, ive found that turning the fan speed down doesnt affect the temperature, the fan will automatically rise if it gets warmer anyway so i would recommend to people that they use fan control to drop the base speed to about 1100rpm

ambient room temperature is about 20°C. i would expect a computer to run a little hotter in warmer climates but it shouldnt idle at more than 70°C!

morrisman1 said:

my aluminium 2.0ghz is currently sitting at 51°C and the fan is at 1100rpm, ive found that turning the fan speed down doesnt affect the temperature, the fan will automatically rise if it gets warmer anyway so i would recommend to people that they use fan control to drop the base speed to about 1100rpm

ambient room temperature is about 20°C. i would expect a computer to run a little hotter in warmer climates but it shouldnt idle at more than 70°C!

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The minimum speed SMC fan control will let my fan go is 2000rpm.......it wont go any lower...

cogsinister said:

The minimum speed SMC fan control will let my fan go is 2000rpm.......it wont go any lower...

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You have a faster CPU than the poster though, commonsense dictates Apple would therefore impose a higher minimum fan speed.

Theophany said:

You have a faster CPU than the poster though, commonsense dictates Apple would therefore impose a higher minimum fan speed.

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Are you saying i have no commonsense ?

dadeef said:

that is not normal unless you are running a graphically intense program/process. Check activity monitor and organize the processes by cpu usage, you'll find your culprit.

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+1
sometimes i have found that some programs crash with their foot on the gas and crank up my fan speed.

TO THE OP

I would most certainly not advise you to maintain your cooling at a constant 6200RPM. The wear and tear you will cause the fan motor and bearings will cause damage, albeit in the long run, that may disable the cooling system - which may be disastrous if it happens on a hot day when you decide to start rendering some video.

Apple sets the cooling system to limits imposed by Intel in order to protect the processor boards from the slightest heat damage, and the regulatory system for the cooling system reflects that. If your computer is running hot it should under normal circumstances cool itself down without assistance with the fan speed.

That said, I do on occasion put my fans to the full 6200RPM if I am doing a processor intensive task such as video editing, and leave them on until I have finished. This is usually never more then three hours at any one time however, most definitely not constantly. So far I have not noticed any ill effects.

cogsinister said:

Are you saying i have no commonsense ?

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Eh?

No, I'm saying Apple would increase the minimum fan speed of higher clocked processors, that would be commonsense on their part. The comment was not directed at you, it was attempting to answer your original comment.

just out of curiosity guys (don't mean to hijack) but the cooling fan in the MB, where in the intake vents for the fan? I've been looking for inside pictures to figure out were the cool air is being drawn from?

from my experience, majority of PC laptops I've owned and worked on, most of them have vent opening under the machine to draw in air from the outside, and out through the heatsink fins to push away the warm or hot air. this doesn't seem to be a thing on the Macbook Alum. (or older Mb's and Powerbooks, my old PB G4 had 2 fans, but it was the same thing, no vents under the machine) i know it's pushing the hot air from the rear back vents, but were is it intaking?

Could someone be kind enough to clarify this since were on topic about fan speeds?

Oh and i agree, it will shorten the lifespan of the cooling fan if you leave it on 6200 rpms full blast. (plus it's noisy too at that speed) and dust will build up much faster on the heatsink vent.